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BOB KALINOWSKI / THE CITIZENS' VOICE
A plaque in memory of Correctional Officer Eric Williams hangs inside the United States Penitentiary at Canaan.

CANAAN TWP. - The crisis at Canaan continues.

In the six months since an inmate murdered federal Correctional Officer Eric Williams, there has been little let up in violence behind the walls of United States Penitentiary at Canaan.

At least 16 inmate-on-inmate attacks, including two stabbings, occurred at the high security federal prison in Wayne County since Williams, 34, was savagely beaten and stabbed on Feb. 25, according to reports compiled by the correctional officers' union.

Inmate outbursts resumed almost immediately after lockdown was lifted in May, six weeks after the Nanticoke man's death, union officials say.

"It doesn't stop," said Dale Deshotel, national president of the Council of Prison Locals. "We're not really any better than the day Eric was murdered. The prison is still overcrowded. We still don't have the staff."

Staffing levels at Canaan and other federal prisons remain at the bare minimum allowed and furloughs that were averted by a one-time funding infusion to the Federal Bureau of Prisons after Williams' death are once again looming, the union leader explained.

As a high-security prison, one rung below super-maximum, Canaan currently houses 1,508 of the country's most hardened criminals. This year, they've been particularly ruthless. In January, Canaan experienced the year's first inmate-on-staff member assault with a weapon out of all of the Bureau of Prisons' 117 institutions. Then, the prison recorded the bureau's first inmate homicide of 2013. Williams' slaying marked the first homicide of a federal correctional officer since June 2008.

And the violence hasn't stopped. With the 16 inmate fights, Canaan has reported more serious disturbances in the past six months than any other federal prison, according to incident report statistics kept by the union.

Those who work there can't point to a particular reason why Canaan has been so notorious this year - except that it's a big prison filled with bad people who don't like each other very much.

"It's not a reflection of the staff working here. It's the inmate population," Darrell Palmer, Canaan's local union president, said during a recent interview in a conference room at the Canaan Township complex. "It's a penitentiary. We have a big influx of inmates coming in and out. Naturally, you're going to have gang members and not everyone gets along."

The repeated inmate uprisings inside the prison since Williams' death have not come without great risk to officers who must intervene each time to subdue the disturbances, Palmer said.

"These guys are the best at what they do. They walk the walk. When something hits the fan, they aren't afraid to respond to take care of the situation," Palmer said.

Luckily, Palmer said, no correctional officers attacked and none have been seriously injured breaking up fights since Williams' murder.

Fights are a part of life inside prison because a correctional facility is essentially a "mini city" that must balance security with freedoms for inmates, most of whom will be released back into society one day, said Kim Straesser, Canaan's public information officer.

"We take the worst of your city and put them in our city and this is what you get," Straesser said. "Take all your villains out of your community and put them in this community and they cross paths."

There have been policy changes implemented since Williams was killed.

When an inmate blindsided and attacked Williams, he was working alone in a housing unit of about 130 inmates - armed with only keys, handcuffs and a radio with a panic button.

After Williams' slaying, the Bureau of Prisons expanded a pilot program that allows correctional officers in all 20 of the nation's high-security prisons, including Canaan, to carry pepper spray for protection, Bureau of Prisons spokesman Chris Burke said.

Correctional officers at Canaan have used pepper spray multiple times, including to disrupt a May 30 brawl involving nine inmates, union officials say.

"When they have used it, it has been effective," Straesser said, declining to say exactly how many times pepper spray has been used at Canaan during the pilot program.

As an additional boost in security, a second correctional officer has also been added to housing units at Canaan during the evening hours, Burke said.

Burke also noted Attorney General Eric Holder, who eulogized Williams and vowed his death would not be in vain, shifted $150 million of Justice Department funds to the Bureau of Prisons in March to block impending furloughs experienced by every other federal agency.

"We remain committed to continually reviewing operations and procedures to ensure we are doing everything possible to reduce the risks associated with this inherently dangerous line of work," Burke said.

All the moves were helpful and appreciated, but members of Congress need to solve the problem once and for all by boosting funding to restore staffing levels, Palmer said.

"Congress needs to realize this agency is much different from others. We're a different entity. We're open 24 hours a day and our job is to keep inmates safe and make sure we're safe," Palmer said. "All I look forward to is making things better in memory of Eric."

In memory

One of the first things one sees upon entering USP Canaan is a framed U.S. flag on a shelf dedicated to Williams. "End of Watch. February 25, 2013," the tribute reads. The flag is one in which flew above the prison that fateful day.

There's another tribute to Williams all employees see each day while checking in and out of work. A plaque that reads "Watching Over Us" and bears a medallion with Williams' name hangs above an "accountability board" near the control center that details who is and isn't working at a particular time.

"He's on everyone's mind on a daily basis. It's a constant reminder for every staffer whenever they come to work," Straesser said. "Sometimes you walk in the door in disbelief that one of our staff members was killed here."

More tributes to Williams are on the way.

A new training center scheduled to be built on prison grounds will be named after Williams. Officials are gathering items about Williams and his death to place in a time capsule on that property that will be unearthed in 20 years. The union is currently raising money to build a memorial on site that will be dedicated to Williams and other staffers who died.

"When staff members see one of their own taken away from them, it's definitely a wake-up call," Palmer said.

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2055, @cvbobkal

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